At the same time, Han Li was struck by a scorching sensation in his flesh and blood while his meridians became extremely numb and itchy, striking him with the urge to claw into his flesh with his fingers.
Only with Han Li's enormous spiritual sense was he able to withstand this indescribably painful sensation. If a normal Body Integration cultivator were in his place, they would either fall prey to Qi deviation due to an inability to control their true essence, or be unable to continue to calmly cultivate. However, Han Li was able to remain completely still as he sat on the ground, withstanding the agony in an expressionless manner.
Several hours later, a series of bones that were far thicker than those of a normal human became visible through his translucent body.
Not only were these bones shimmering with faint silver spiritual light, their surfaces were also riddled with golden patterns. The patterns were barely visible and extremely thin, making them very easy to miss, but they formed a series of extremely profound golden runes that looked as if they had naturally grown on his bones.
For those who were able to identify these runes, they would immediately be able to tell that this was golden seal text. For these runes to appear as a result of a cultivation art was a clear testament to just how extraordinary the cultivation art in question was, and it would most likely be sorely sought after even by Grand Ascension Stage beings.
This was none other than the Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra that Han Li had begun cultivating again.
It originated from the True Immortal Realm, and if Han Li could achieve full mastery of it, his physical body would become as powerful or even more powerful than that of a true spirit being.
However, the cultivation art was naturally extremely difficult to master as well, and he had only dared to begin cultivating it again after progressing to the late-Body Integration Stage.
As for when he would achieve full mastery of it, that would surely only come very far in the future; perhaps he wouldn't even have gotten to that point after progressing to the Grand Ascension Stage.
With Han Li's current age, he had countless years ahead of him, so there was no hurry for him to work on this cultivation art.
Time passed by slowly, and several hours later, Han Li reopened his eyes as a rumbling boom akin to a thunderclap erupted from all of his bones, and the golden light he was emanating abruptly became brighter.
He made a hand seal, and the rumbling within his body instantly subsided.
Only then did he heave a long sigh as a wry smile appeared on his face.
Cultivating the true Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra was extremely painful; even with his immensely powerful physical constitution, he wasn't able to cultivate it for long.
If he were to cultivate it for an entire day, then his meridians would be severely damaged. After that, Han Li didn't immediately withdraw the surrounding formation. Instead, he waved a hand upward to dispel the golden projection, then placed his hands onto his knees and closed his eyes to meditate once again.
Mere moments later, the golden light emanating from his body receded, only to be replaced by a layer of rainbow light that grew brighter and brighter.
A layer of light also appeared over his face, and the black demonic eye on his glabella flashed incessantly as if it had sprung to life.
After finishing his cultivation of the Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra, he had begun cultivating the Spirit Refinement Technique.
With his current late-Body Integration Stage magic power and physical body, he was finally able to cultivate this technique again.
If he could master the second stage of the Spirit Refinement Technique, his spiritual sense would increase by severalfold; even if he couldn't find the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus, there would still be hope for him to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage.
Han Li was well aware of just how important this Spirit Refinement Technique was, so he had been cultivating it every single day following the battle of Deep Heaven City. However, he had only been cultivating it for a short time, and the second stage was far more profound than the first, so his progress was quite limited.
It seemed that it would take a long time for him to master the second stage.
Han Li had already predicted this, so he wasn't frustrated and merely continued to meditate patiently.
The next morning, a streak of azure light rose up from the island, then shot forth into the distance.
Two days later, Han Li emerged out of this inland sea and entered a lush green mountain range.
The mountain range was very humid, and there was mist of different colors that would occasionally rise up from the ground, concealing everything below an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet.
In order to avoid being delayed by any devilish beasts that may have been lurking in the mist, Han Li was flying at an altitude of tens of thousands of feet.
There were some powerful devilish birds that even Han Li didn't want to mess with residing at altitudes of over 100,000 feet, so he wouldn't fly any higher than this unless he had to.
This mountain range was far more massive than he had imagined. He had thought that it would take him three to four days at most to fly out of it, but even after around half a month of flying, there were still no signs suggesting that he was close to emerging on the other side.
This was rather surprising to him, and he also became more cautious.
Even though he was flying at quite a high altitude, he was still attacked by several powerful devilish beasts, which posed a minor hindrance to him, but they were all incinerated by his Spirit Engulfing Heavenly Flames.
After flying for a few more days, the trees and mountains down below became more sparse, and he was finally about to reach the other side.
Han Li immediately sped up upon seeing this, yet right as he was flying over a barren mountain, his expression suddenly changed slightly as he abruptly stopped on the spot.
He then cast his gaze toward a certain direction with a contemplative expression. Shortly thereafter, he seemed to have made a decision and flew directly toward the same direction he had just turned his attention toward.
A short while later, he had flown for close to 1,000 feet, and he caught sight of a giant purple tree in the distance that was over 30,000 feet tall.
In the air above the giant tree, there were a dozen or so devilish men and women battling a flock of crimson bats. These devilish beings were mostly comprised of Deity Transformation Stage beings, while three of them were at the Spatial Tempering Stage. They were setting up a formation, and had summoned several tens of treasures to ward off the crimson bats, of which there were over 30.
Each of these bats was around five feet in size, and all of them had black devilish symbols all over their bodies. With each flap of their wings, a burst of grey devilish wind would sweep forth, and they were also blasting green flames out of their mouths.
The wind enhanced the flames, creating a green sea of fire that completely trapped the group of devilish beings above the giant tree.
Even though the devilish beings were unable to escape, the three Spatial Tempering Stage beings among them were controlling several powerful treasures, and the formation they had created was quite profound, so they were able to withstand the sea of flames for now.
There was a fragrant aroma rising up from down below, and it was stemming from several thumb-sized green fruits growing on the tree's massive canopy.
Han Li didn't pay much heed to the bats and devilish beings, focusing most of his attention on those fruits instead.
"Those are the Purple Spirit Fruits of the Purple Light Tree! Such a massive Purple Light Tree is exceedingly rare," Han Li murmured to himself.
Purple Spirit Fruits were a type of rare spirit fruit, and these ones were growing on such a huge tree, so it was possible that they could have some additional special effects. However, the effects of these spirit fruits were only applicable to cultivators below the Body Integration Stage, so they were no lon
ger useful to Han Li.
Thus, he quickly withdrew his gaze and finally turned his attention to the group of devilish beings.
Among them, the Deity Transformation Stage devilish beings were in some trouble.
Their faces had become quite pale, and it was quite clear that they were about to exhaust their supplies of magic power soon. If they were to falter, then their joint formation would fall apart, and they would all be killed along with their three Spatial Tempering Stage companions.
Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, yet before he had a chance to consider how he should treat this situation, one of the three Spatial Tempering Stage devilish beings suddenly yelled, "Fellow Daoist, I am from the Bai Family of Illusion Night City. If you're willing to assist us, our Bai Family will be sure to reward you handsomely!"The devilish being who had spoken was a beautiful young woman in a green dress who appeared to be in her twenties. She had already noticed Han Li and was finally calling out for help. Han Li had naturally disguised his cultivation base, so he was currently only releasing a Spatial Tempering Stage aura.
"The Bai Family of Illusion Night City? The Bai Family that's renowned for producing incense?" Han Li asked as his expression changed slightly.
"I can see that you've heard of our Bai Family, Fellow Daoist. If you want, I can swear a vow on my inner demons that you'll be rewarded for saving our lives!" The woman had clearly misconstrued Han Li's hesitant expression.
Han Li was silent for a moment before replying, "Seeing as you're from the Bai Family, I'm obliged to assist you, but I hope you won't forget your promise."
As soon as his voice trailed off, he made a hand seal, and his body swelled to around 30 to 40 feet tall while black scales appeared all over his skin. His hands also transformed into a pair of black devilish claws with fingers as sharp as blades, and as soon as the transformation was complete, Han Li rushed directly toward the crimson bats amid a gust of fierce devilish wind.
Chapter 2049: Bai Yunxin
The black wind reached the crimson bats in a flash, and close to half of them suddenly turned toward Han Li before blasting green flames toward him out of their mouths.
Before the green flames had even reached Han Li, a nauseating odor of rot and decay had already swept toward him.
Han Li immediately swept both sleeves through the air, unleashing two gusts of fierce azure winds, which kept the green flames at bay.
At the same time, he strode forward and abruptly vanished on the spot.
In the next instant, he reappeared out of thin air beside a crimson bat several hundred feet away and swept both arms through the air, unleashing over 100 claw projections that completely shredded the bat's body before it even had a chance to cry out.
The other bats were naturally very alarmed by this, and they hurriedly turned to attack Han Li, but it was already too late.
Han Li had vanished on the spot again, leaving a trail of black afterimages in his wake as he arrived beside another devilish bat that was over 100 feet away.
The same claw projections erupted forth, and that devilish bat was also sliced into countless pieces.
After that, Han Li traversed through the flock of bats in a wraith-like manner, felling a bat with each and every attack he unleashed.
In the face of his incredible movement techniques, the green flames released by the crimson bats mostly struck nothing by empty air, and the few burst of flames that did manage to strike Han Li were rendered completely ineffective by a suit of black armor that he was wearing.
Within the span of just a few breaths, over 10 devilish bats had been slain by him, and the group of devilish beings nearby were staring at him in a flabbergasted manner.
The Spatial Tempering Stage young woman was also gawking at Han Li with astonishment in her eyes.
They had been battling these devilish bats for over half a day, and they were well aware of just how hard these bats' bodies were. Even normal devilish treasures couldn't inflict much damage to them, and only top-grade devilish tools were able to harm them to a certain extent. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been trapped here for such a long time.
As such, it was naturally astonishing that Han Li was able to tear through the hapless bats with ease with his bare hands.
What kind of devilish art could this man be cultivating to have attained such a powerful physical body? Could it be one of the legendary ancient devilish arts? the woman thought to herself in a stunned manner.
Despite their ferocity, the devilish bats had become quite fearful in the face of Han Li's powerful display.
However, right at this moment, a sharp cry rang out from among them, and they all parted to reveal a giant devilish bat that was far larger than all of the other ones.
Not only did this devilish bat possess a powerful aura, it had a pair of purple horns on its head, around which wisps of electricity were revolving incessantly. It immediately opened its mouth to blast forth a vast expanse of green flames, which encompassed an area of over 1,000 feet as it surged toward Han Li.
Han Li's expression remained unchanged as a series of black runes erupted out of his suit of devilish armor to form a light barrier in front of him.
As soon as the sea of flames came into contact with the black light barrier, it was forcibly parted and completely unable to approach Han Li.
A hint of fury appeared in the giant bat's eyes upon seeing this, and it let loose a sharp screech as two thick bolts of silver lightning erupted out of its horns, crashing directly toward Han Li.
Han Li's expression changed slightly as he raised a hand and pointed two fingers forward.
A loud thunderclap rang out, and two bolts of azure and white lightning erupted out of his fingertips to counter the oncoming bolts of silver lightning.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Han Li took a step forward and vanished into space before instantly reappearing above the giant bat, then swept a devilish claw downward.
Five black claws projections descended from above, and the giant bat immediately flapped its wings in alarm, propelling itself to the side like a speeding arrow.
Despite its huge frame, it was surprisingly agile.
Han Li harrumphed coldly upon seeing this and abruptly brought his fingers together, upon which the five claw projections instantly sped up by severalfold, tearing one of the giant bat's wings into pieces in a flash.
The giant bat let loose a howl of agony, and a hint of horror appeared in its enraged eyes. It frantically flapped its remaining wing a few times before releasing countless thin crimson threads out of its body.
The threads were as red as blood, and as soon as they appeared, they instantly exploded into clouds of blood mist that concealed the bat's entire body.
Han Li made a grabbing motion downward with his other arm as well, conjuring up countless claw projections amid a burst of spatial fluctuations, and the cloud of blood mist was instantly destroyed.
Right at this moment, a streak of crimson light shot forth just as the blood mist was dispersed, and it instantly appeared over 10,000 feet away, then vanished into the distance in a blur.
"Bloodshadow Evasion!"
A peculiar look appeared on his face as he identified the movement technique that the giant bat was using, but his expression then immediately returned to normal as he cast his gaze toward the remaining crimson bats.
Without the leadership of the giant bat and having had many of them already slain by Han Li, the remaining devilish bats were no longer able to pose a sufficient threat to the group of devilish beings with their green flames.
Instead, the devilish beings took advantage of this opportunity to retaliate, unleashing powerful abilities to force back the sea of flames little by little.
Meanwhile, Han Li merely crossed his arms and looked from afar, displaying no intention to take any further part in this battle.
The remaining devilish bats naturally gave Han Li a wide berth as well in fear of incurring his wrath.
Around 15 minutes later, the d
evilish beings finally broke out of the sea of flames and slew close to half of the remaining devilish bats.
The bats that survived quickly fled for their lives, not daring to linger around the giant tree any longer.
The young devilish woman was clearly the leader of this group, and after taking care of the devilish bats, she immediately flew over to Han Li before extending a curtsey. "Thank you for your assistance, Fellow Daoist. My name is Bai Yunxin; these are my brothers, Bai Yin and Bai Ying. May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?"
The woman was speaking to Han Li in a very polite manner.
As for the other two Spatial Tempering Stage devilish beings, Bai Yin was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, while Bai Ying was a middle-aged scholar. The two of them also hurriedly expressed their gratitude toward Han Li.
"My surname is Han; I'm only a vagrant cultivator, but I've heard much about your Bai Family. I've heard that the incense produced by your Bai Family is capable of calming the mind and warding off sinister beings; I'd love to see it in action," Han Li said in a calm manner as he cupped his fist in a salute.
"A vagrant cultivator? I can see that you possess incredible powers, Brother Han; you must be an unfathomable cultivator who rarely shows himself in public. Otherwise, there's no way I wouldn't have heard of you," Bai Yunxin said with a smile.
"I'm no unfathomable cultivator, but it is indeed true that I don't show myself in public much. This place is quite far away from Illusion Night City; could it be that you came here for these Purple Spirit Fruits?" Han Li asked.
Bai Yunxin's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but she calmly negotiated, "Indeed, our Bai Family is planning to refine a type of spirit pill that requires these Purple Spirit Fruits as one of the main ingredients. We've been scouring through these plains for many years and only just discovered this Purple Light Tree. If it weren't for your help, there's no way we would've been able to secure these spirit fruits, so we should be splitting half of them with you. However, these fruits are extremely important to our Bai Family, so would you be willing to accept devil stones in compensation instead?"
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1181